I'd like everyone to keep in mind that this article is most likely a hit piece to get people riled up in an attempt to secure hits for their website. With that being said, this is the first negative preview I've seen about Spore and I've been following the game since it was announced. Check it out

From what I understand, they are basically saying this is the most amazing game ever, but it's not going to sell. I agree.

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Spore has plonked itself right between the mainstream and the gamer audiences, but could end up attracting neither.

Only us gamers even know about Spore. Mention it to casual gamers and they'll have know clue what you are talking about.

Will Wright wanted to avoid only gamers playing this game, so he added cutesy graphics and simplistic gameplay. But while doing this, he also turned away hardcore gamers because now it obviously looks like a "kiddie" game.

So if the casual gamers don't know about it, and the hardcore gamers think it's too cutesy, who's going to buy it?

Lots of casual gamers know about it. I met a guy the other week, he said he didnt even play games, i said "oh im waiting for a game called Spore to come out" he was like "ohhh YEAH! that game looks amazing, I cant wait for it to come out" which completely took me by suprise, I actualy get that alot from alot of people I talk to.

I don't believe it is going to fail but I don't see it doing better than even Brawl did or even close at all. Your one or two experiences with a person that doesn't play games that knows about Spore is irrelevant compared to the millions. Its just a prediction that could be true and could be completely wrong. i for one do believe it will do enough for expansions and what not.

Logged

"Tell me what you cherish most...give me the pleasure of taking it away." Final Fatasy VII: Advent Children

I think the Myspace (Myspore) component they've implemented it going to make this game explode, to be honest.

Take The Sims, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, and Neopets. Combine them all and add in the concept of what Spore is. You've got what Spore is going to be.

Admittedly I always thought it wouldn't approach The Sims. It'd be a fantastic game but wouldn't be a massive seller. It'd do well, but not in a "best seller!" way. Though turning the Sporepedia into this without needing to leave the game. The simple utility of direct upload to Youtube. Give this game to 20 people who are "Myspace junkies", and it'll spread like a plague. Because their Spore stuff will show up on their Myspace too. Then others will wonder, and want, and get involved. Even if only to follow the trend, some of them. Which means Spore captures an entirely new demographic of internet users who aren't even buyers for the game, but buyers for the interaction.

Huge sales in the first weeks? No. Massive sales over time? Absolutely, I think so.

The Sims, its sequel, and their ludicrous numbers of expansion packs are the textbook definition of ‘mainstream’ in terms of both gameplay, and marketing. And once the brand took hold, it soared. Spore, on the other hand, has no brand power. To gamers it is known, but to the mainstream audience that flocked to The Sims in droves it means nothing.

This is circular reasoningThe Sims didn't became popular because EA made lots of expansions for it. When they released it, it had virtually no brand brand power, even less than for Spore. Will Wright wasn't even a "Gaming God", and the "Creator Of The Best Selling PC Game Ever" that time, only the "designer of simcity" (in lower-case ). The Sims didn't mean anything for neither Gamers, nor casuals. But some of the latter tried it, they started talking about it, and buying it. As more people bought it, it became a phenomena, and even more people bought it. As even more people bought it, it became an epic phenomena, and even more people bought it.

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In addition, the complexity of the gameplay is going to further ostracise mainstream audiences. There isn’t one simple gameplay mechanic to master in Spore: the game is broken up into seven sections that each play differently to the other.

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Regardless of how light the learning curve is, that’s a huge investment to ask of a casual gamer: to learn a multitude of completely different gameplay styles. We know that Maxis’ moto is “everyone should be able to play the game, all the way to the end”, but the question remains, will they bother?

This is just a hardcore game reviewer. It is obvious that his kind is totally unable to rate casual games. Look at any game rating site, they gave terrible ratings for Wii games that are very popular, and fun, just because they didnt understand the point of them.

Maxis is beta testing the game with The Sims audience, trying to make it fun for them, the real casuals, not for game reviewers who just try thinking like them and fail.

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Like hardcore stuff: Diablo for the Creature Phase, Populous for the Tribal Phase, Civilization for the Civilization Phase and Masters of Orion for the Space Phase. Like, c’mon…

*sigh*These were only rough examples from WW to explain the principles of the stages. Of course the creature stage is not Diablo, not even close to it, it is just also based on getting points and evolving. I don't think that it is too "hardcore" for anyone to get points and put body parts on a creature.

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For proof that online is still a no-go zone for casual gamers just look at the success, or lack thereof, of The Sims Online.

The Sims Online failed because it was multiplayer, not because it was online. A competition based game, for the sandbox audience.

And anyways, it happened in 2002!Now it is 2008, even little girls can use MSN, MySpace, and Youtube.

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The game must launch in an environment saturated with plenty of quality alternatives – from MGS4 to GTA IV, 2008 is the year of software

GTA IV is an alternative for Spore? LOL! That game will be released in a month from now, people will play with it, play more, and forget it by the summer. This is what happens with al thel hardcore games.

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And what about ‘multiplayer’. The online aspect of the game is extraordinarily intriguing, but like all online ventures in Australia gamers are prepared for disappointment. For every Halo there is a Prey: a great concept for online mayhem that is buried by our cringe-worthy broadband network.

So... Spore will be a failure just because there is something in it that could go wrong? This thinking is like big companies thinking: If there is anything innovative in the game, it might go wrong, so let's do GTA and NFS over and over again!

This guy is much worse than EA, at least they accepted Spore and it's risk.

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It may be playable by all, but it could prove attractive to none.

Says the guy who also said it is: "the most impressive project in development anywhere in the world, on any format. If he pulls it off it truly will be futuristic, mind-blowing stuff." Just like EVERY OTHER PREVIEWER SAID WHO EVER PLAYED THE GAME! They, the hardcore writers ALL agree that this is a great game, but they see to believe that there is a hiding uber-hardcore mass who won't like it.

In my opinion, he doesn't seem to know what Spore is meant to be. It isn't meant to be a "blockbuster" kinda thing, it's supposed to be a bestseller over time. Besides, EA need not spend so much on promoting the game. We, the people who know Spore, will do it for them. Just like what some of us did for The Sims.

If done correctly, customers are one of the most effective ways of promoting something.

I think the Myspace (Myspore) component they've implemented it going to make this game explode, to be honest.

Take The Sims, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, and Neopets. Combine them all and add in the concept of what Spore is. You've got what Spore is going to be.

Admittedly I always thought it wouldn't approach The Sims. It'd be a fantastic game but wouldn't be a massive seller. It'd do well, but not in a "best seller!" way. Though turning the Sporepedia into this without needing to leave the game. The simple utility of direct upload to Youtube. Give this game to 20 people who are "Myspace junkies", and it'll spread like a plague. Because their Spore stuff will show up on their Myspace too. Then others will wonder, and want, and get involved. Even if only to follow the trend, some of them. Which means Spore captures an entirely new demographic of internet users who aren't even buyers for the game, but buyers for the interaction.

Huge sales in the first weeks? No. Massive sales over time? Absolutely, I think so.

My opinion atleast.

I think spore will at least sell 1 million in it's first month if not more. Just wait and see....when the release date hits I am going to dig this point up and highlight my post.

I think people are forgetting the most powerful marketing tool, the word of mouth, a lot of my friends are just console gamers and didn’t know about spore at all, but I explained what its about and what you have to do, and they where really interested in it, and most of my friends are usually into no brinier FPS shooters, so I think it’s the unique idea of Spore that it will do very well. Another thing is I'm a hardcore gamer and usually into more action type games, but I’m looking forward more to Spore than any other game at the moment because its going to be a new kind of game play, not just another squeal, like GTA and MSG, and if they do a midnight opening for spore I would go!

I must admit I see where the author is comming from, my gamer neighbour calls spore "viva simspore", and I understand why he would say that, the graphics are becomming less and less appealing, the creature options all look too cutesy cutie cute, especially the eyes, and the potential for 19 simlike expansions is most likely too tempting for EA to pass on, I do however think the game will sell well still, real gamers will still want to check it out, I mean ... thats what we do, and the casual ones will be swayed by advertising.